Electric welding



Mam}! 1945- H. E. KENNEDY YET AL r 2,371,894

ELECTRIC WELDING Filed Jul 31, 194;

INVENTORS HARRY E. KENNEDY MAYNARD A. ROTERMUN A ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 20, 1945 Harry E. Kennedy, Berkeley, and Maynard A. Rotermund, Walnut Creek, Calif assignors to The Llnde Air Products Company, corporatlon of Ohio Application July 31, 1943, Serial No. 496,850

3 Claims. (Cl; 314-73) This invention relates to electric welding and refers more particularly to an improved, simplifled control system for regulating the rate of electrode feed in automatic electric welding processes. Although the invention is useful in all automatic electric welding operations, it is particularly well suited for use in connection with the process described in United States Patent No. 2,043,960 when alternating current is used. In that process metal from a welding electrode is melted and deposited on a workpiece under an infused blanket of an initially comminuted mineral-like welding composition and through a molten pool of such composition established at the weld zone.

In electrical welding operations of the type in which a welding current is passed between a pair of relatively movable electrodes, one of which may be a workpiece to be welded and the other of which may be a rod or wire composed of metal to be fused and deposited on the workpiece, whether or not the welding be done by the process of the patent above referred to, it is desirable to maintain a constant distance between the electrodes. When this distance is maintained at a fixed value, the voltage drop between the electrodes remains substantially constant. Thus the welding current remains constant and the resulting weld is uniform throughout its length.

Generally in such operations the consumable welding electrode from which metal is to be deposited on the workpiece electrode is caused to be fed towardthe workpiece electrode, as it is consumed, by driving rolls actuated by an electric motor and to maintain a substantially constant distance between the fusing end of the welding electrode and the workpiece electrode, it is customary to utilize some characteristic of the welding voltage or current to control the speed of the motor. Heretofore the conventional means for maintaining and regulating the motor speed and rate of electrode feed involved the use of relays, vacuum tubes, photoelectric cells and the like, together with complicated and costly associated circuits and apparatus. While excellent control has been attained with such systems, they are subject to disadvantages such as high cost, limited service life, and fragility.

The present invention has for its principal object a control system for automatic electric welding operations, which system is free oi the disadvantages of prior control systems.

In the accompanying drawing. the single figure v is a diagrammatic representation of a control system embodying the invention.

Generally, the objects or the invention are attained by connecting a high speed, universal, series wound motor across the welding electrode and the workpiece electrode and employing this motor to drive the electrode feed means. This type of motor is of such ample power that itsspeed is little influenced by variations in torque occasioned in feeding the electrode, and its speed is therefore substantially entirely dependent upon welding circuit voltage. A variable resistance connected in series with the motor is includedin the circuit so thatftlie electrode feed may be set initially at a desired rate, andv an over-voltage protective device, such as a fuse, circuit breaker or over-voltage relay is provided to protect the motor from over-voltage produced by open circuit voltage of the welding current supply. The

sal motor I! having a series field winding l8 and adapted to operate on alternating or direct current. The motor II is operatively associated by suitable means, not shown, with driving rolls n adapted to feed the electrode [2 to the workpiece electrode [3 as the former is consumed. A switch II is provided for the motor I! and an overvoltage relay, the contacts is of which are in series with the motor and the coil 2| of which is connected across the electrodes l2, I3, is also provided to protect the motor I! from damage by over-voltage. For adjusting the rate of feed of the electrode [2 to the workpiece electrode It, a variable resistance 2! is included in the circm't. A voltmeter is connected across the conductors ll, H. I! the welding operation is to be conducted by'the process of Patent No. 2,043,960, the welding zone is blanketed with a layer I; of a weldingcomposition or the type described in that patent.

In conducting an automatic electric welding operation using the control system illustrated in the drawing, welding current is passed through theclrcuitandthevariableresistance 2| lsadiustedsoastoprovideadeeiredrateofspeed otthemotor liandeonsequcntlyadesiredrate otteedottheweldmgelectrodelitctheworkcreasing the rate of feed of the electrode l2. If

the distance between the fusing end of the electrode l2 and the workpiece electrode I3 is increased, the voltage drop between the electrodes is increased, and the speed of the motor I! is increased, thereby increasing the rate of feed of the electrode l2. If during the welding operation the electrode I! should make contact with the workpiece electrode l3 and thereby permit the voltage between the electrodes to rise to the full open-circuit voltage of the current source, the I coil 20 of the over-voltage relay becomes 'energized sufiiciently to open the contacts i9 against the tension of the spring 23, thereby cutting the motor i out of the circuit and protecting it from damage.

The control system of the invention thus serves I! may be "lnched toward the workpiece electrode I3. By closing the reversing switch I 4 in the reverse direction, the armature connections of the motor I5 are reversed, and the electrode l2 may be inched away from the workpiece electrode l3. When the position of the electrodes with respect to each other is correct, the initial adjustment circuit is broken and the welding circuit made by the make and break switch 24, and welding is then commenced.

Although particular reference has been made to the use of the control system of the invention in automatic welding operations of the type disclosed in United States Patent 2,043,960,]15 usefulness is not limited to operations of that type. Although alternating current circuits are shown in the drawing, the system may be used for either alternating or direct current welding. If it is to be used exclusively for alternating current operations, the variable resistance 2! may be replaced with an adjustable transformer.

We claim:

1. In an automatic electric welding system, a consumable welding electrode and a workpiece electrode movable relatively to one another;

, means for feeding said welding electrode toward to maintain a substantially uniform welding voltage by maintaining substantially constant the distance between the fusing end of the electrode l2 and the workpiece electrode I3, and by automatically correcting variations in the distance, acts to correct such fluctuation in welding voltage as may occur.

v If welding is to be conducted by the method disclosed in United States Patent 2,043,960, it is necessary that the position of the electrode I2 with respect to the workpiece electrode H) be adjustable before welding commences, because of the non-conducting properties of the comminuted welding medium employed in that method. To start such welding operations it is customary to inserta fuse such as a wad of steel wool between the fusible electrode and the workpiece electrode.

The position of the electrodes with respect to one another must be carefully regulated during starting. In the control system of the invention, therefore, provision is made for such adjustment using a circuit separate from the welding circuit. The

armature of the motor I5 is connected through the reversing switch I4 into both the welding circuit and the initial electrode adjustment circuit, the-latter of which is connected to a suitable separate source of electricity. A two point make and break switch 24 serves to close the electrode adjustment circuit and to open the welding circuit efore welding operations commence. By closing the reversing switch M in one direction and mak ing the electrode adjustment circuit, the electrode said workpiece electrode as the former is consumed; a source of electric current connected to said electrodes to cause an electrical discharge therebetween; and a series motor operatively associated with said feeding means, said motorbeing connected across said electrodes.

2. In an automatic electric welding system, a consumable welding electrode and a workpiece electrode movable relatively to one another;

means for feeding said welding electrode toward said workpiece as the former is consumed; a source of electric current connected to said electrodes to cause an electrical discharge therebetween; a series motor operatively associated with said feeding means, said motor being connected across said electrodes; and a variable resistance connected in series with said motor.

3. Welding apparatus comprising, in combina tion, a consumable welding electrode and a workpiece electrode movable relatively to one another:

a transformer for supplying alternating electric welding current to said electrodes; driving rolls for feeding said consumable welding electrode toward said workpiece electrode; a series wound motor operatively associated with said drivin rolls and connected across said electrodes; a variable resistance connected in series with said motor; and means protectin said motor from over-voltage produced by open circuit voltage of said transformer.

HARRY E. KENNEDY. MAYNARD A. ROTERMUND. 

